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| Battle Mages: Sign of Darkness: A Possible Diamond in the Rough |
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Battle Mages: Sign of Darkness, from Russian studio Buka, is one of those rare games you aren?t really sure about. You can see a lot of potential there, and you only hope the end result is as fun as you imagine it to be. As it stands, Battle Mages looks to be an interesting new addition to the RPG/RTS genre. It?s hard to say which way it leans because it?s about as even a split between the two genres as I?ve yet seen.
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The core of the game is similar to what you?re used too. The overall flow is mission-based as you jump from map to map doing a variety of quests, using troops of soldiers you purchase and command. What sets the game apart is its art style and flavor of the world. The graphics are fairly crude on a technical level, but, artistically, work really well.
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Another major element is that you, the player, also have a visual presence in the game. With both a physical body and an astral projection, you not only use troops to do your dirty work, but you can also have direct interaction with the game world through spells and the like. This works both ways however, and there are creatures and traps that can harm you in either form. The story elements are also presented in a very stylish way. Rather than using the cutting edge 3D that is all the rage, Battle Mages: Sign of Darkness uses beautifully crafted and vibrantly animated 2D images to convey its story between missions.
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The learning curve?s a little steep, but is well worth the trip. Hopefully some of the translations will get cleaned up a bit before the final version, as I couldn?t get a clear understanding what some of the tutorial messages were talking about; though I could usually fumble my way through it. It might not revolutionize the genre, but Battles Mages: Sign of Darkness looks like it could be a very unique trip through familiar ground.
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-Alucard, GameVortex Communications AKA Stephen Triche |
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